The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of making a decision about when to plant penstemon is to consult the USDA zone info for Hanover Park.

Planting Calendar for Penstemon

Frost tolerance for penstemon:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since penstemon are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant penstemon in Hanover Park is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant penstemon and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your penstemon may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your penstemon indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Hanover Park. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Hanover Park is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Hanover Park you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your penstemon if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Hanover Park

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Hanover Park

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Hanover Park.